Assistant professor of languages and literatures Wesley Costa de Moraes (pictured above) presented a lecture on Northeastern Brazilian literature, geography and history on Sept. 26. Having grown up in Northeastern Brazil, Costa de Moraes shared his own experiences in addition to his studies of Brazilian works (Udeshi Seneviratne/photo editor).
On a warm, rainy Wednesday afternoon, Brodie Hall prepared for its last lecture for the art installation of “Bandits & Heroes, Poets & Saints.” The Bertha V.B. Lederer Gallery was eagerly set up with rows of chairs, ready for a large outcome.
As 2:30 p.m. approached on Sept. 26, students rushed in to grab their seats while others patiently walked around, observed the art and waited for the lecture to begin. Gallery director Cynthia Hawkins introduced the topic and as soon as assistant professor of languages and literatures Wesley Costa de Moraes started his presentation, students’ pens hit their notebooks.
Costa de Moraes was the presenter for the lecture, “Bandidos e herois, poetas e santos: Brazilian Northeastern Literatures and National Imaginaries.”
Costa de Moraes started off the presentation by providing some insight and background into Northeastern Brazil regarding its geography, historical context and its current issues with political candidates before delving into its rich culture of literature.
As a disclaimer to any audience member who might have been familiar with Northeastern Brazilian literature, Costa de Moreas said that he’d be speaking on only a small part of the literature of the northeast since he could only cover so much in the allotted time.
To follow his lecture, Costa de Moraes set up a slide show that displayed the authors and works he mentioned. Since most of the work he spoke on was not written in English, he took sections from books and translated them so the audience could understand the basis of the work.
While much of the literature focused on more serious topics and personal struggles from the Northeast, the literature contains a lot of humor and social satire, Costa de Moraes said.
To give an example, he showed the audience a short clip of a movie adaptation from one of the books which was rewarded with an uproar of laughter. The plot is about a woman who has a love affair with the ghost of her husband, which evidentially lends itself to comedy.
Costa de Moraes also spoke on Literatura de Cordel. This is a collection of local writers who write about a wide range of topics. Their works include poems, news and the current social issues occurring in the area.
Theater and English double major freshman Joshua Mora had previously attended the art exhibit “Bandits & Heroes, Poets & Saints,” and as soon as his professor informed his class about this presentation, he sought it out.
“I have always loved English because I’ve always loved reading, I’ve always loved writing,” Mora said. “Before this lecture, I didn’t know the logistics of Brazil. I didn’t know it was divided the way that it apparently is.”
International relations major sophomore Ellie Dickerman had similar thoughts on the lecture. She originally attended for her Spanish class and since she wasn’t familiar with the Northeastern region of Brazil, she came to learn about the culture.
“I learned about the cultural differences between the different regions in Brazil,” Dickerman said. “I also learned about popular literature from the northeastern region.”
Costa de Moraes, born and raised in a poorer part of Brazil, had personal experiences and knowledge to share with the audience to truly convey emotion and truth. He effectively informed the crowd while keeping them entertained and attentive.
While this concludes the lectures that will be presented for the art exhibit, the art itself will remain on display until Oct. 18 in Brodie Hall.